Tag: kickstarter

And we’re back after vacation, sickness, work-related insanity and injury! Lots of exciting stuff to talk about but let’s start with a Kickstarter Spotlight!

It seems like there has been an ever-increasing number of board games that are trying to introduce some form of education into their gameplay, whether it’s a serious attempt to teach a second language or a light way present a science at a very high level. This week’s Kickstarter Spotlight asks the questions: can fiscal responsibility be fun?

In Debtzilla players take the role of heroes who are not only attempting to save the city from financial super-villains who are trying to scam money out of the citizens but also must manage their cash flow so that they can purchase the necessary equipment to fight them. Debt can not only clog your hand if it’s not paid off, but it affects the power of Debtzilla, which everyone will need to face when the villains are gone. Debtzilla is a deckbuilding, tableau building and dice pool manipulation in a fun and strategic way and looks like a nice way to introduce the idea of debt management to younger players.

Fantasy game villages really have it rough, don’t they? The town of Tinderbox has the great misfortune of having been built surrounding the Pyromancers University, whose experiments are constantly going awry and setting the buildings on fire. In ‘The Brigade’, it’s up to Tinderbox’s greatest heroes, not the idealistic adventuring kind, but the members of the village fire brigade, who all come from the same standard fantasy stock of humans, dwarves, elves, and orcs. You’ll pick your warden, manage your crew and water wagon while gaining the support of the townsfolk by saving their abodes and businesses.

I enjoy the idea of turning the fantasy tropes on their head. It seems very Discworld-ish to me in the best way possible. Looking forward to trying this one out!

Lords of Hellas has some of the best looking minis in a Kickstarter since Dark Souls and looks like it has the huge gameplay to back them up. The 12 cm tall monuments are almost too big to call miniatures. The Greek mythology meets high technology aesthetic is fresh for the board gaming world and the strategic territory control combined with the adventure elements looks very epic. A campaign mode with a solo player option is right up my alley as well. Having smashed its funding goal means it’s less of a risky venture for those Kickstarter shy and contains lots of bonus content.

I needed a break from big tactical miniature heavy games this week so I was happy to stumble on Rise of Tribes, published by indie game house Breaking Games. Civilization building games have always been high on my list especially when they have unique mechanics. Rise of Tribes’ dice management mechanic is unlike any I’ve seen before, requiring some forethought since some combinations can make certain actions more and less effective. With everyone using the same dice pool you have to pay attention to your own actions, less you give an opponent an advantage. Rise of Tribes also features stunning art design and all the components, whether you chose to go with cardboard or wooden ones, have a nice tribal aesthetic.

Here’s another Kickstarter that hits all my game buttons: lots of great looking minis, unique art style, a campaign mode, and solo play! Clash of Rage looks attractive and easy to learn while having lots of strategic depth and replay-ability. The cartoony yet edgy art style certainly grabbed my attention and the Kickstarter page contains an inexhaustible store of information about the design. Also for a mini heavy game it has very reasonable exclusives and add-ons. I’m going to be watching this one very closely!

Time for something a bit lighter on this week’s Kickstarter Spotlight. Can’t have a collection that is full of epic, 4 hour long extreme board games can you? So here we have Ursa Miner which caught my eye because, well, bears! Simple and quick game play with some strategic variety, cute art and components and tonnes of bear puns! All for a very reasonable price. Sounds like a good time to me!

This week’s Kickstarter Spotlight includes my favorite player range description: “For 1-x players”. Heroes of Land, Sea and Air is a fantasy themed 4x kingdom building game with a colorful aesthetic, lots of variety and a large number of great looking miniatures. Gamelyn Games is known for their Tiny Epic series but this game is HUGE. Big games with solo components will always get me excited so I’ll be looking forward to getting my hands on this one!

Here’s the gameplay video:

Check it out on Kickstarter HERE, on BGG HERE, and at Gamelyn Games’ official site HERE.